World War One in Virtual Reality

Friday, October 12, 2018

WORLD WAR 1 IN VIRTUAL REALITY
TOTAL IMMERSION: IN REMEMBRANCE WORLD WAR 1
Saturday 10-Sunday 11 November, Barbican, London

The BBC Symphony Orchestra commemorates the centenary of the end of the First World War on this historic Armistice weekend with a Total Immersion weekend that brings the war into the 21st century through an award-winning Virtual Reality experience, Nothing to be Written.

In its first Total Immersion of the 18/19 season, the BBC SO curates a weekend of film, talks, and performances that explore the cultural legacy of the ‘Great War’ and consider how it is understood and interpreted today.

Nothing to be Written is a VR experience by Anna Meredith and 59 Productions that gives a contemporary response to the First World War and is presented by the BBC VR Hub. The piece received its world premiere at the BBC Proms this summer and was named ‘Best UK Experience’ at last weekend’s Raindance Film Festival 2018.

The weekend’s events range from films exploring the work of composer and poet, Ivor Gurney through to a concert staging of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s opera The Silver Tassie. Based on Sean O’Casey’s provocative 1928 play, Turnage’s opera confronts the futility of war and its painful human cost. Conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth, it will feature an array of distinguished soloists including Sally Matthews, Louise Alder and Sir John Tomlinson alongside the BBC Singers and young people from Finchley Children’s Music Group.

On Armistice Day itself, the BBC Singers and their new Chief Conductor Sofi Jeannin perform two new contemplative works by Roderick Williams and Bob Chilcott.

Performances from ‘Total Immersion: In Remembrance World War 1’ will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 where they will be available to listen again for 30 days thereafter at bbc.co.uk/radio3.